What I have learned from living in Kentucky is how to live a calm, stable, slow-paced life. I grew up in the busy city of Las Vegas, NV. I was constantly on the move, changing schools, moving into new environments. I had to learn how to adapt. I had to learn to not form relationships. Instability was a part of my life. This went on for eighteen years, until I moved to Kentucky.
I moved to Kentucky to start a new life. I wanted to take control of my life. I was so used to living a fast paced life, always moving, and never having long term friends. I wanted to slow down, have friends, and live in the same place for over a year. So moving from a city where I did not see myself living happily was my only option. The way I came to lie in Kentucky was because a friend from high school invited me to move with her. We moved after we graduated, and so my wonderful life in Kentucky began. Life in Kentucky was different. Everything from the environment to the people, I had to learn new things and grow accustomed to my surroundings. The first thing I noticed was how abundant the grass was. I never knew that grass grew by itself! In Las Vegas, green grass yards were always accompanied by sprinklers and yard hands that carefully attended the yards, but in Kentucky it was everywhere. It was all people could do to control it; I have never seen so many people mowing their yards. Nature in general was something that I had to learn about. I never experienced much nature in Las Vegas, all of the trees and grass were deliberately place. I had never seen a wild animal, other than the very rare squirrel. A drive through the countryside of Murray, KY would allow me the pleasure of seeing deer, fox, raccoon, possum, all of which I had only seen on animal planet. Being an animal lover, this was a dream come true. I had never seen lightning bugs, nor did I know anything about pesky insects such as fleas, ticks, and mosquitos. I would have never learned about nature so up close if it weren’t for Kentucky.
Not only did I learn about nature from living in Kentucky, but I learned a lot about people from living in Kentucky. My mom always taught me never to trust people, always be on the lookout. I never made friends with my neighbors, and I never talked to the cashier at Wal-Mart. All of the people that I encountered were strangers, I didn’t know them, and I didn’t want to know them. But this wouldn’t fly in Kentucky. Being the new girl in town, I was constantly asked questions. They wanted to know who is where, where I came from. I was not use to sharing such information with people I did not know. People would wave at me when I was driving down the street, and this really unnerved me. Why are these people waving at me? Then somebody explained everything to me. People in Kentucky are friendly. They will wave at you, say hello, and ask you what your name is. This was something I definitely had to get used to. In Las Vegas, I could go to the store and shop in peace, not see a single person that I knew. If I ran into a friend somewhere, I would be really surprised. But in Kentucky, going to a store and shopping in peace was not an option. I always ran into someone I knew, there was no getting away without even a brief conversation. Although at first I found it annoying, I really grew to enjoy the fact that I was making friends, and that I had come to know more people in a short period of time than I had ever know in my entire life.
I moved a year ago to a different city in Kentucky. It’s a little bigger here, but it still has that small town charm. Although I have lived in Kentucky for over six years, I still have a lot to learn. Whether it is learning how to fish or plant a garden, I am happy that I live somewhere that these things are possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment